Climate Change, Global Warming Ozone Layer Depletion Nuclear accidents & Holocaust

Climate Change, Global Warming Ozone Layer

Depletion Nuclear accidents & Holocaust

Sanket Kulkarni, Div-B Roll No: 1115098

Climate Change:Fitting the pieces together

What is Climate Change?

•Climate is the average weather at a given point and time of year, over a long period (typically 30 years).

•Climate change is the greatest threat facing our planet today.

•A warming planet alters weather patterns, water supplies, seasonal growth for plants and a sustainable way of life for us and the world’s wildlife.

•Climate change has already started, but it’s not too late to take action. There’s still time for us all to be part of the solution.

•Changes in:–Sun’s output–Earth’s orbit–Drifting continents–Volcanic eruptions–Greenhouse gases

What Changes Climate?

“Greenhouse effect” Increasing greenhouse gases trap more heat

Other evidence of Climate Change

•Glacier retreat

1875 2004

Why should we care?

•Produce more fuel-efficient vehicles•Reduce vehicle use•Improve energy-efficiency in buildings•Develop carbon capture and storage processes•Triple nuclear power•Increase solar power•Decrease deforestation/plant forests•Improve soil carbon management strategies

What WE can do?

Ozone Layer depletion

Ozone DepletionSignificant concentrations of ozone (O3) exist in the lower elevations of the stratosphere.

Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs UV B radiation from sunlight.

UV B radiation damages DNA molecules and can cause genetic defects on the outer surfaces of plants and animals, including human skin (skin cancer)

•Ozone depletion is the seasonal loss of a large swath of our stratospheric ozone above Antartica, as well as the general degradation of this protective layer around the globe.

•With less ozone in the atmosphere, more ultraviolet radiation strikes Earth, causing more skin cancer, eye damage, and possible harm to crops.

Ozone Layer Depletion

Ozone Depletion ResultsEach 1% loss of ozone leads to a 2% increase in UV radiation striking the earth.

A 2% increase in UV radiation results in a 5% to 7% increase in skin cancer, including a 1% increase in deadly malignant melanoma

Satellite photo of south pole. Purple shade shows the extent of the ozone hole.

Protecting the Ozone Layer

Ban the use of CFC’sHave to replace with something

Current replacements are greenhouse gases and do not eliminate ozone depletion, just slow it down

Air Quality Standards

Emission Standards

Limit amounts of pollutants that can be emitted by pollution sources

Generally set by State Air Quality Offices

Global Warming

Global Warming

•Global warming is a Global phenomenon.•It refers to a gradual increase in the temperature of the Earth due to trapping of green house gases.

Green House gases

•Gases such as CO2, SO2, NO2,CH4, etc. Are the green house gases.•Most of these are the polluting gases that are produced by the industries.•These gases trap the heat from the sunrays that are reflected from the sun.

Why Global Warming Occurs?

It is the effect of the process of trapping of Heat due to CO2 which has been going on since times unknown.•But due to rapid rise in population over the last few decades, the CO2 emission has increased whereas due to deforestation, the rate of CO2 absorption has gone down thus disturbing the balance of Nature.

Why Global Warming Occurs?

•Also due to Globalization, various industries started to grow.•This also led to the problems of various types of pollutions including air pollution.•Most of the gases that pollute the environment are Green house gases.•This leads to Global warming.

What do climate scientists really think?

Effects of Global Warming

•It has been reported that the temperature of Earth is increasing each day by few degrees.•As a result of this, the snow in various regions of Earth is rapidly melting.•This may add more water to fresh water reserves like lakes and rivers in the beginning but when the “meltdown” is completed, there would be no fresh water reserves.•Also it destroys the ecosystem in the Polar region.

Prevention Of Global Warming

•The various ways to control Global Warming are:-1.Control of population. But, since it is not possible to control population, the best way to control Global warming is by planting trees.2.Use of ecofriendly and biodegradable products.3.Avoid using vehicles when not necessary.

ACID RAIN* Involves deposition of aqueous acids, acidic gases and acidic salts -        Acid deposition has 2 parts: wet and dry -   Wet deposition refers to acidic rain, fog & snow-   Dry deposition refers to acidic gases and particles-  Half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls back to earth through dry deposition  * Acid rain is a regional air pollution problem -   Canada, & North Western USA are worst affected - Average pH of rainfall recorded in Toronto in Feb. 1979 is 3.5. In 1989 fog in Los Angles had a pH as low as 2.2. Most acidic rain fall in US in Wheeling West Virginia is 1.4. -  Precipitation of clean atmosphere may have 5.6 pH.

What are the origins of ACID RAINS ?

Human activities are at the origin of important quantities of polluting items that are thrown out in

the atmosphere which contibutes to acid rain .

Combustion of fossil fuels like Coal, Firewood etc which produces air pollutants like sulphur

dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

Gases which are at the origin of acid rains are :

Sulphur dioxyde Carbon dioxyde Nitrogen oxide

Acid rains appear when :

Sulphur dioxyde Nitrogen oxide

Release sulphuric acid and nitric acid !

They move up into the air and are released as acid rains

NUCLEAR ACCIDENT

Nuclear accidents and nuclear incident⦿A nuclear accident or nuclear incident, depending on the severity, is known toinadvertent releases of radioactive materials, accidental or radioactivity levels likely to harm public health.

Nuclear accidents and nuclear incident

⦿Is described as a nuclear accident or incident according to its severity and its impacton the population and the environment.⦿Radiological accidents can happen at a nuclear plant or outside, ie in a facility thatconducts a nuclear activity (hospitals, research laboratories ...) or due to the loss of a radioactive source, or by spreading involuntary or voluntary radioactive substances intothe environment.⦿To measure the severity of an event, there is an international scale: INES scale.

International Nuclear Event Scale

SAVE EARTH…..SAVE LIFE……….

THANK YOU………………….